All-Century Team

Display at the Hall of Fame

In 1999, the Major League Baseball All-Century Team was selected. An expert panel compiled a list of the 100 players since the turn-of-the-century and fans voted for the greatest players. The top two players from each infield position, the top nine outfielders, and the top six pitchers were placed on the team. There were some notable omissions, and a Blue Ribbon committee added five players who did not garner enough initial votes.

The players were presented in a ceremony, emceed by Ford Frick Award broadcaster Vin Scully, at Turner Field before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series. Every living player named to the team attended the ceremony.

Team Selection

Pitchers

• Nolan Ryan
• Sandy Koufax
• Cy Young
• Roger Clemens
• Bob Gibson
• Walter Johnson
• Warren Spahn - added by panel
• Christy Mathewson - added by panel
• Lefty Grove - added by panel

Catchers

• Johnny Bench
• Yogi Berra

First Basemen

• Lou Gehrig
• Mark McGwire

Second Basemen

• Jackie Robinson
• Rogers Hornsby

Third Basemen

• Mike Schmidt
• Brooks Robinson

Shortstops

• Cal Ripken, Jr.
• Ernie Banks
• Honus Wagner - added by panel

Outfielders

• Babe Ruth
• Hank Aaron
• Ted Williams
• Willie Mays
• Joe DiMaggio
• Mickey Mantle
• Ty Cobb
• Ken Griffey, Jr.
• Pete Rose
• Stan Musial - added by panel

There was a controversy over the inclusion of Pete Rose, who had been banned from baseball for life ten years earlier. Many questioned Rose's presence on a team officially endorsed by Major League Baseball. Fans at the stadium during the introduction of the team were supportive, giving him a standing ovation. An aggressive and negative post-ceremony interview by NBC Sports' Jim Gray resulted in further public sympathy for the disgraced Rose.

Four then-active players made the roster: Roger Clemens, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mark McGwire. However since 1999, Griffey's and McGwire's selections have become more disputable. At the time of his induction, Griffey was 29 years old, in his prime, and appeared headed towards all-time stardom. In recent years, Griffey's ascent was subsequently derailed by a series of injuries; missed around 370 games (over two seasons) from 2001 to 2005. McGwire's accomplishments were fresh in public memory, having broken Roger Maris' single-season home run record in the previous season. However, McGwire has since become entangled in the ongoing steroids controversy, and some now question the validity of his career numbers.

Some fans were unhappy that no Latino players had been elected, in particular Roberto Clemente, who had finished 10th among outfielders, just missing the cut. In 2005, the MLB announced its Latino Legends Team. No Negro League stars were chosen for the team; Satchel Paige, 9th among the voting for pitchers, received the most support.

Ballot with Vote Totals

Position	Rank	Player	Votes
Catcher	1	Johnny Bench	1,010,403
	2	Yogi Berra	704,208
	3	Carlton Fisk	322,384
	4	Roy Campanella	247,909
	5	Josh Gibson	233,288
	6	Mickey Cochrane	75,344
	7	Bill Dickey	74,295
	8	Gabby Hartnett	24,198
First Baseman	1	Lou Gehrig	1,207,992
	2	Mark McGwire	517,181
	3	Jimmie Foxx	351,488
	4	Harmon Killebrew	185,622
	5	Eddie Murray	161,564
	6	Hank Greenberg	114,317
	7	Willie McCovey	106,717
	8	George Sisler	28,378
	9	Buck Leonard	20,091
	10	Bill Terry	12,976
Second Baseman	1	Jackie Robinson	788,116
	2	Rogers Hornsby	630,761
	3	Joe Morgan	608,660
	4	Rod Carew	430,267
	5	Nap Lajoie	90,402
	6	Eddie Collins	58,836
	7	Charlie Gehringer	45,663
	8	Frankie Frisch	27,527
Third Baseman	1	Mike Schmidt	855,654
	2	Brooks Robinson	761,700
	3	George Brett	656,511
	4	Eddie Mathews	174,529
	5	Paul Molitor	160,271
	6	Pie Traynor	96,699
Shortstop	1	Cal Ripken, Jr.	669,033
	2	Ernie Banks	598,168
	3	Ozzie Smith	589,025
	4	Honus Wagner	526,740
	5	Robin Yount	134,655
	6	Luis Aparicio	129,328
	7	Luke Appling	28,877
	8	Joe Cronin	27,789
Outfielder	1	Babe Ruth	1,158,044
	2	Hank Aaron	1,156,782
	3	Ted Williams	1,125,583
	4	Willie Mays	1,115,896
	5	Joe DiMaggio	1,054,423
	6	Mickey Mantle	988,168
	7	Ty Cobb	777,056
	8	Ken Griffey, Jr.	645,389
	9	Pete Rose	629,742
	10	Roberto Clemente	582,937
	11	Stan Musial	571,279
	12	Joe Jackson	326,415
	13	Reggie Jackson	296,039
	14	Tony Gwynn	232,476
	15	Carl Yastrzemski	222,082
	16	Frank Robinson	220,226
	17	Rickey Henderson	180,940
	18	Barry Bonds	173,279
	19	Lou Brock	131,361
	20	Billy Williams	97,911
	21	Tris Speaker	84,461
	22	Willie Stargell	71,585
	23	Al Kaline	67,719
	24	Duke Snider	63,410
	25	Cool Papa Bell	59,189
	26	Mel Ott	51,748
	27	Ralph Kiner	32,302
	28	Al Simmons	15,930
	29	Paul Waner	15,057
	30	Oscar Charleston	13,893
	31	Joe Medwick	11,238
	32	Willie Keeler	10,553
	33	Goose Goslin	9,475
	34	Harry Heilmann	9,415
Pitcher	1	Nolan Ryan	992,040
	2	Sandy Koufax	970,434
	3	Cy Young	867,523
	4	Roger Clemens	601,244
	5	Bob Gibson	582,031
	6	Walter Johnson	479,279
	7	Greg Maddux	431,751
	8	Steve Carlton	405,365
	9	Satchel Paige	399,657
	10	Warren Spahn	337,215
	11	Tom Seaver	330,219
	12	Whitey Ford	253,120
	13	Bob Feller	252,115
	14	Christy Mathewson	249,747
	15	Jim Palmer	158,266
	16	Pete Alexander	151,255
	17	Dennis Eckersley	143,710
	18	Lefty Grove	142,169
	19	Dizzy Dean	130,389
	20	Juan Marichal	122,366
	21	Rollie Fingers	106,416
	22	Carl Hubbell	54,618
	23	Mordecai Brown	31,432
	24	Robin Roberts	23,366
	25	Eddie Plank	13,195
	26	Ed Walsh	12,687

External Links

• All-Century Team Votes Totals